In dairy production systems, nitrogen flows through both the forage crops and the dairy cows. Forage crops use nitrogen mineralized from manure for plant growth. Harvested crops are then fed to dairy cows that, in turn, use the nitrogen for their growth and milk production. When the cows excrete a portion of the consumed nitrogen as manure the cycle is renewed. This 5-page fact sheet focuses on the forage production aspect of the nitrogen cycle at a dairy farm. Written by Rebecca Hellmuth and George Hochmuth, and published by the UF Department of Soil and Water Science, March 2015. (Image credit: R. Hellmuth)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss640
Tag: Dairy Waste Management
The Long-term Contribution of Phosphorus from Agricultural Lands to Lake Okeechobee (SL357/SS558)
This 7-page fact sheet uses a new procedure to evaluate the soil from active and abandoned dairies in the Lake Okeechobee watershed to determine their potential to negatively impact water quality through phosphorus release. Written by V.D. Nair, M. Chrysostome, and W.G. Harris, and published by the UF Department of Soil and Water Science, October 2011.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss558